


Jitters

by Oparu



Series: a baby dragon and her terrible purple hat [15]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, background Captain Swan, background dragon queen, mostly dragon swan friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 16:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10575117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/pseuds/Oparu
Summary: Regina and Maleficent are getting married today and all Emma has to do is show up and hope the wedding doesn't get derailed by some kind of magical crisis, but then Maleficent isn't answering her phone and maybe she's just nervous. Can dragons get cold feet?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write an Emma thing for Emma week 2017, and Dragon Queen is my love, so this just made sense. I love Emma figuring people out and her kindness, so this is her, being her wonderful self.  
> (and Dragon Queen).
> 
> some sweet and supportive Captain Swan too.

Three nervous texts from Lily, and she got into the Bug. Lily has her hands full helping Granny and half of the Dwarves with the food and the drinks for the reception. She wouldn't have imagined Regina would want this town-wide celebration, but the town has been desperate for a party and Regina's the Mayor, she can hardly get married without a little fanfare. When Snow got involved, it went from zero to "don't you think the cake needs five tiers" basically overnight and now it's the wedding Emma suspects Snow wanted her to have.  

She feels for Maleficent getting swept up in all of this because Emma's knows how much her stomach would twist if her wedding reception was literally taking up the entire park on the edge of town. Emma heads up the stairs at the hotel with a little wave at the receptionist and knocks on the door. "Hey. You're not answering your phone and Lily's a little nervous."

She glances down, muttering to the floor and her boots.  "Maybe a lot nervous."

The door swings inward, and Maleficent stands before her, hair down around her shoulders, still dressed in her pyjamas and her robe. Without makeup she is most definitely not Maleficent the dragon: terrifying sorceress of the old world. She looks younger, softer, nothing about her is at all intimidating except perhaps how blue her eyes are.

Emma thought she was going to have to remind her of the time, or maybe calm down dragon diva moment, but this is different.

Maleficent looks helplessly at the bed, where her dress lies like a museum piece, red waves of fabric cascading onto the floor, rich embroidery and delicate jewels catch the light and make it look more like art than something someone could actually wear.  She can't help thinking of Regina's castle and the ball she attended as Princess Leia. This is a thing of that world: the dress of a fairy tale villain.

"Oh, I must have buried that thing."

"Yeah, phones take some getting used to." Emma surveys the room, staring at the dress because those can't really be stitches, no one can make stitches that small.

Mal flutters her hands, then slips them into the pockets of her robe. "Regina said to do my hair and makeup first and I started my hair but--"

The vanity is empty. Her hair would certainly require pins and curlers and products-- No,  Maleficent would use magic. Emma's not sure if she can help with that.  None of the spellbooks she's gotten from Regina cover magic hairstyling and she's certainly never tried doing anything with her own.

"It's kind of intimidating isn't it? Everyone looking at you." That's a guess. They're not really friends, more thrown together company, because Maleficent's sort of becoming Henry's third mom and Lily and Emma still click, so she feels like she knows Maleficent a little. She's quiet when they're all together but she seems nice. Regina adores her in a sappy, full-hearted way that just makes Emma want to grin at them both.

Mal sinks into the chair, hands on her knees. She's pale, somehow smaller without her suits and hats and scarves. (Where does she get her clothes? They're not at the one shop in town Emma has access to). She's so human-looking that it sinks in. This is not a diva moment. _Nor, 'I am the mistress of all evil...hear me and dismay._ That's the animated version. This version looks helplessly at Emma and shuts her eyes. "I don't care what they think."

Emma kneels down in front of her, reaching for her hands on instinct. "Okay. Good. What they think doesn't matter."

"Regina--" Maleficent leaves that unfinished and she blinks too quickly.

Emma only has to think about tissues before they're on the floor next to her. She's getting much better at that. She pulls one and hands it over, finishing Maleficent's thought. "Is probably equally a wreck and driving Henry and my mom crazy."

That earns a smile. "Perhaps."

"I know how much this means to her," Emma says, squeezing Maleficent''s hands. They're so warm compared to hers. That shouldn't surprise her, but she smirks a little at herself. Dragon. Right. While she dries her eyes, Emma studies her hair. It's not that different from Emma's own, fine and soft. Should curl well, even in the humidity of Storybrooke. "What do you want to do with your hair?" That seems easy enough. Walk her through that, give her something to focus on, move on to the hard parts like makeup and putting on the dress.

"It won't do anything." Maleficent waves her hand to demonstrate and the ends beginning to curl into fat, soft curls that tighten and pull upward into an updo before something snaps and they fall, slipping free from the magic that holds them to fall fat. The little fizzling noise is all too familiar.

"That's not your hair."

"No." Their eyes meet and Maleficent doesn't try to deny it. "My magic is rather unreliable at the moment."

"It's emotion, and you're nervous so it's fucked."

Maleficent presses her lips together and smiles, eyes widening. "Yes, that might be an apt description."

Emma reaches for her hair, lifting it with her fingers when Maleficent doesn't pull back. They have fairly similar hair, soft and smooth. She can do something with it, definitely. "I can do your hair without magic, but we'll have to go to my house. You don't have anything here."

Lifting a hand as if already ready to poof them away, Maleficent nods. "That's much easier than fussing with my hair."

"You're not going to send us into the middle of the cake?" She doesn't really distrust, but it's worth asking.

"No, translocation is one of the easier spells. No emotion involved." She takes Emma's hand, presumably to get the 'address' of Emma's house right, and in a moment they're there, in Emma's bedroom exactly where she needed Maleficent to be. Even the dress came, and Maleficent's clothes, which now sit on the bed she shares with Killian. Luckily she made it this morning so the dress lies on top of the covers, not cascading over the sheets.

Emma can't stop herself from blushing a little. Maleficent's in her bedroom, just standing there in her robe and pyjamas.

"Sorry, I don't usually."

"You thought we should go here."

"Yeah, I did. I wanted my hair stuff." She fixates on that, reaching for Maleficent's hand before it occurs to her that she's taken the dragon's hand, and sets her down in front of the mirror. "Which is here, my hair stuff is here."

Maleficent's too-bright eyes follow Emma in the mirror then she notices the products, the brushes, the pins and all the stuff Emma's collected since she got here. Curls take some work without magic but Maleficent's hair holds them. She could do a braid, because she's best at those.

"Okay, so, do you want me to try and do something specific?"

Maleficent's eyes flick up to her in the mirror. "At this point? You can do whatever you want. Regina said I'm not allowed to wear my horns."

Emma stares long enough that Maleficent smiles. It's weak and soft, tentative, but she's trying.

"I think she was joking."

Toying with Maleficent's hair, Emma gathers it up, trying to get the weight of it. "I can braid it, that'll look nice, especially with your dress. We'll have to do it the old fashioned--" she pauses and smirks, "Well, maybe it's the new way, I suppose magic came before bobby pins and hairspray."

"Hopefully your methods are more reliable." Maleficent flexes her fingers, and stares down. "Magic is emotion, and it can do wonderful things."

"Or turn your hands into sparklers without doing anything useful." Emma starts braiding, running hair over hair in as elegant a french braid as she can manage. If she does it at an angle, it'll look really nice. "I can do this to myself sometimes, but it's a lot easier when it's not your head."

Looking up from her hands, Maleficent watches Emma's fingers move through her hair. "I am so accustomed to magic that I don't even think about seeing it. My hair responds to my will." She shuts her eyes, and this smile has the quality Lily's always talking about. How her mom is both young and incredibly old. "Usually my will is more decisive."

"It's okay!" Emma pins up a free stray wisps of hair and tries to figure out how to tuck it in nicely before she curls the ends. "You're getting married, you're supposed to be a wreck. I was."

"Your wedding had other reasons for concern."

Chuckling, Emma nods. Of course, she couldn't even get married without chaos.  "Well, yeah, Killian and I can't seem to catch a break, but even without the endless crises of Storybrooke, getting married is a big commitment. It's exciting and terrifying and wonderful, of course your magic's a little off." She plugs in the curling iron and returns to Maleficent's quizzical look.

"It's a curling iron, it uses heat to curl your hair. Less fun than magic, but it gets the job done."

"Which magic is failing to do." Maleficent turns, trying to see the back of her head.

"Oh, I have a mirror, hang on." Emma leaves her and ducks into the bathroom, grabbing the little hand mirror.

"Emma?" That voice is Killian, on his way upstairs. "Emma are you up here?"

"I'm here."

"Oh?"

"I'm sorry, I--"

She ducks back into the bedroom and meets Killian's gaze. "Uh, I'm helping Maleficent with her hair."

"All right." He touches his hair behind his ear. "Right. How's that going?"

"Perhaps you can tell me, I can't see it." Maleficent looks up at him from her chair and Emma remembers the mirror.

"Oh!" Emma hands the mirror over. "Sorry. Here, I think this works. My mom will have some little flowers we can put in there, and then I'll curl this part."

Killian leans in and kisses Emma's cheek, quick and gentle. "I can leave you to it then."

She follows him into the hall, catching his hand. "Would you make us some tea?"

"Of course." He shifts his eyes towards the bedroom and lowers his voices. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, no cold feet. Talons, ummm, I think she's just a little nervous. Lily's been so busy with Granny and the food for the reception and I think other than Regina she doesn't really have anyone she can talk to. Maleficent, I mean." Staring past him for a moment, she drags her thoughts back. It's like her superpower is acting up but Maleficent's not lying to her. There's just something...

"I think she might need a friend today. Maybe two." She nudges his shoulder, toying with his fingers.   

He raises his eyebrows and nods. Killian never thinks of himself as being a good influence, but she knows how gentle he can be. "All right, tea it is and if there's anything I can do to help, I'm around."

"She's not going to eat me."

Killian shrugs. "I suppose we did both best her before, in a manner of speaking."

"Hey!"

"I'm going to make tea," he reminds her, disappearing downstairs.

Shaking her head, Emma returns to the bedroom. Sitting on the floor next to the extravagant train of her dress, Maleficent glances up at her, the little mirror in her lap. "My hair's beautiful."

"I'm not done," Emma protests. It's hardly anything professional. Maleficent probably could have done far better with magic.

""It's still beautiful. Your iron made a noise, and the light turned green."

"Then we're ready." She lowers her hands to help Maleficent up. "Something nice about the floor?"

Maleficent allows Emma to take a little of her weight, and though her hands are still warm, they're damp with sweat. Nerves, and yet...something still nags at Emma, like she's missing something.

"Looking at my own reflection was strange."

"Right, not a lot of mirrors in your world?"

"That, yes, I suppose that's true." Maleficent sets down and watches Emma in the mirror instead of looking at her own reflection. Emma starts curling her hair, pleased by how well it works. It is easier to curl someone else's hair and she'd nearly forgotten because she's not really the kind of person who makes friends and does their hair.

"You do this well."

"Thanks, I had a bunch of weird jobs, and it lets you get close to people." Emma releases a fat curl of hair and pats Maleficent's shoulder. "Not that I--"

That joke is lost. Maleficent merely tilts her head to the side. _The lizard look,_ Lily calls it.

"I'm not getting close to you to turn you in for a bounty. That was my old job."

"Why are you getting close to me?"

The curling iron clicks in the silence.

"What?"

Maleficent holds perfectly still, her bright blue eyes following Emma in the mirror until they meet each other. "You could have told Lily I wasn't dressed yet and let her come help me, or Zelena."

"She'd burn you with the curling iron." Emma's only half-joking. Zelena's been slightly less than openly hostile to gaining a sister-in-law, which is something. Of course, little Robyn loves her almost aunt, but she'd not be much use in getting Maleficent dressed.

"No, we've been getting along." Maleficent insists that so earnestly that Emma laughs.

"Tough one?"

"Regina's the only person in Zelena's life that she trusts, so it's difficult to share."

Emma rests her hand on Maleficent's shoulder, waiting for the curling iron to finish. "But the kid loves you. I've seen her with you."

"Babies are easy. She just likes to watch magic."

"Babies are sometimes how you get mom to approve."

Two more curls and Emma's got it. She just needs to spray it, fluff them a little so they don't look too crisp.

"Regina says we'll get there. Zelena's slow to trust, but she's family."

Grabbing the hairspray, Emma starts to set the braid. Maleficent jumps. "Sorry."

"What is that?"

"Hairspray, is it cold?"

"I'm as unsettled as a goblin. I'm sorry." Mal shuts her eyes, letting Emma finish spraying her hair into place.

"Are they particularly jumpy?"

"What?"

"Goblins."

"Terrible creatures," Killian interrupts, arriving with tea and milk on a tray (not sugar, terrible stuff for tea, apparently). "Greedy, grumpy little beasts who just won't hold still. Even when you promise you're not going to kill them."

Maleficent smiles at him, nodding. "That's quite right."

"Cup of tea?" He sets the tray on the dresser, pouring a cup with milk, and holds it out until Maleficent takes it. When her hands tremble, he steadies them with his hand. "It's all right."

Maleficent stares at the tea and Emma leans on the vanity. "We were nervous when we got married."

"Well, until the crisis arrived, of course."

"I suspected the crisis," he insists, passing Emma a cup of tea.

"Sure you did."

"Not that particular one, but a crisis, nonetheless."

Their guest takes a sip of tea and manages a more convincing smile. "Hopefully we'll avoid that."

Emma chuckles and raises her eyebrows. "Regina's cast enough protection spells that I don't think anything can move magically without her knowing about it."

That's not what Maleficent's nervous about. Some kind of goblin attack would be easier for her to deal with. Turn into a dragon, destroy the threat, not have to worry about being the center of attention, her past or Regina's.

"You know what I thought about, when I was unsteady before our wedding?"

Maleficent shakes her head. "Is it calming?"

Emma has to smile at him. She leans closer, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"When i got up there, I'd be with to Emma, and her with me. You'll have Regina, and that's all that matters. She's your safe harbour."

Watching them both, Maleficent drinks more of her tea, her hands starting to steady. There's a little more colour in her face, but she's still pale and it's not just the lack of magical makeup. "That's a lovely sentiment."

"Or your cave, pile of jewels." His eyes flash, full of mirth. "Whatever soothes you."

Shaking her head, Maleficent sets down her tea and rests her hand on her stomach. Emma can't help being reminded of Regina, and how she holds herself when she's afraid. It's a similar stiffness, but Maleficent's hand is lower.

She could stay here, wrapped around Killian, talking about nothing, but she has to get dressed, has to get Maleficent into her dress, and that means makeup and her own hair and Emma's quick but not magic quick.

"I have to get myself ready, which means a shower. If I left you with my makeup and a certain helpful pirate--"

Killian chuckles before she can finish, and gives Maleficent a little bow. "I'm very good at rimming the eyes with kohl, and I've learned enough of Emma's tricks to be an able assistant."

A warm hand squeezes Emma's arm. "That would be fine, thank you both."

Emma blinks at her. She almost expected some refusal, but maybe Maleficent just needs someone else to lead this, and killian and Lily get along well enough, That probably moves him up in her esteem. "I'll be quick."

She grabs her towel and her robe, choosing her underwear and the right bra to go underneath her dress before she ducks into the bathroom. Under the hot spray of the shower, she wonders about Maleficent's nerves. Is it just having Regina at last or is the prospect of an eternal commitment more terrifying when one lives forever? She should really ask about that and find out how long Maleficent and Lily expect to live. Working the shampoo out of her hair, Emma lets her thoughts wander until they land not quite where she expected.

She knew they were trying. Regina mentioned it, shyly, with the kind of smile that made Emma want to hug her tight. So that, Emma decides, drying her hair, explains more of the fluctuating magic and the wandering thoughts that just jitters.

Drying herself off, she picks up her phone with damp fingers and sends off a text to Regina. Just to let her know that they're with Maleficent and they'll get her to the park on time. Emma's half-dressed, hair up in a towel,  when Regina replies with her gratitude.

She's too effusive for Regina on a normal day. Too protective. Emma smiles at herself in the steamy mirror, getting all of that joy out of her face before she's back in the bedroom. She's not close enough to even bring it up with Maleficent, but she's thrilled for them. Henry's going to be such a cute big brother.

Dressed and ready to start blow drying her hair, Emma returns to the bedroom as Killian's putting the finishing touches on Maleficent's eyeliner. They've chosen a blush, a deep red lipstick, and with her eyes closed, Maleficent seems content and at ease with him.

"Told you he was good."

"Though I'm afraid any hand would be steadier than my own, but Killian's is appreciated."

Emma flicks on the hair dryer, ending the conversation while it whirs away. Between the two of them, Killian and Maleficent have found the sweet spot between too made up and not dynamic enough for an outdoor wedding in bright sunlight for all of those pictures. Pride makes her chest warm and she kisses his cheek while they study Maleficent's face in the mirror.

Emma winks. "You only look a little bit like a pirate."

"Killian was just telling me his other experience was in brothels, so between the two options..." Maleficent  teases back. She's calmed enough to tease them both.

"Some of them were very expensive, high class brothels."

That earns a laugh and Emma tilts her head, listening to them joke back and forth.

"They can be beautiful places."

"So you've been?" He raises his eyebrows and they laugh together.

Emma's phone chirps and she really has to get dressed or they're all be late. Grabbing her phone, she reads Regina's gentle concern and shoots back a reply. Getting ready is a lot slower without magic, but Maleficent's fine. She's smiling easily now, discussing 'biscuits' with Killian. Maybe she just needed to be safe, to be with people who weren't afraid of the dragon lady.

Taking her dress into the spare room, Emma pulls it on and throws a quick braid into her own hair. She keeps having to stop, because Regina and Henry have questions and Henry loves snapchatting with his mom using ridiculous filters and them in suits with bunny ears is pretty funny.

Regina's smile glows through the damn phone. She's so happy, finally. Emma finishes her braid with a ribbon and slips her earrings on while Maleficent changes into her chemise and slip and returns, ready to be laced into her dress.  With Killian's help, they guide it up over her hips when she steps into it. Without magic, there's no way she would have ever got it on without help, so it's right that she's here.

Killian starts tightening the corset with a practiced hand and Emma stops him with a hand on his arm. "Give her room to breathe. Wedding days are long days."

She's so busy helping Killian with the tiny hooks and getting the corset stays perfectly in place that Emma nearly misses the way Maleficent's eyes follow her in the mirror. Then she feels it, turns into Maleficent's unblinking gaze and they stare at each other in the glass.

"Thank you," Maleficent says, and the words hang heavy, full of feeling.

"Yeah!" Emma says too quickly. "Yeah, of course. Tons of people helped me get ready, you shouldn't have to do it alone." Satin whispers and Killian nudges her. They share a look and whispered "later" behind Maleficent's head as they fluff out the train and arrange the flowing fabric.

"The necklace is in the wooden case," Maleficent says, looking over her shoulder at the bed.

"Got it." Killian hands it to Emma and she inhales in surprise.

"It's heavy." Really heavy, because it's stones set in silver that shouldn't be real, but they are, because she lives in a fairy tale town with dragons and royalty of course that means rubies as big as her thumbnail.

"When it's light they're stinting you on the silver." Maleficent sits like a statue as Emma clasps the heavy necklace around her neck.

Killian whistles, low in his throat. "Is that Regina's or yours?"

"Mine now." Maleficent pats the jewels and that glint is the predator. That smile is the dragon. "In the old world, my world, there's a grand tradition of a quest for unobtainable jewels."

"A dragon courting ritual?" Killian's grin flashes bright.

"It's tradition. I didn't expect Regina to know about it--"

Emma chuckles, handing Maleficent her earrings. "But she did, because she's never met a book she didn't want to pour over."

"I believe the term in this world is 'nerd'." Killian adds, taking his suit from the closet.

"She discovered the custom in an old book and presented me with these when she proposed."

Emma touches her own engagement ring and winks at Killian. "So I should have held out for something better?"

He laughs and tosses a tie at her. "I would have sailed the seven seas to bring you what you asked for, luckily for me, you were content with that humble trinket."

"I love this humble trinket, and you," Emma reminds him, shaking her head. "Go get dressed, we're almost late."

He mock bows to her and disappears into the spare room with his tux.

"I've chased you out of your room." Maleficent's hand rests on her necklace, as if it carries Regina with it, wrapped in silver and rubies.

"No, no." Emma crouches down by her, taking her hands. "You're fine. We've got more than enough rooms."

"You know that's not--" she stops and shuts her eyes. When they open again, her eyes are wet, and thank god Killian used the waterproof stuff. It's going to be a long day for that mascara too.

"You're welcome, for all of it. All right?" Emma squeezes her hands again. "I know what it's like. You're all alone, and then all of a sudden you have all this family and it's so overwhelming. You love them, and they love you but you don't know how you fit, or what you're supposed to do, but you love them, and you start to get comfortable, and then, all of a sudden you can't imagine not having Lily and Henry, Regina, even Zelena, they're your family now."

Maleficent stares at her, tears rolling down her face. "And you it seems," she adds, leaning down and kissing Emma's cheek gently. "Thank you."

"It's been fun, actually." Emma hands her a tissue, then another.

"Oh?"

Emma cleans up Maleficent's tears, "You and Killian getting all nostalgic for fairy tale land is pretty funny. He doesn't have many people he can talk to who have seen the places he has. It's nice."

"It's been better than nice." Standing up slowly, Maleficent rests her hand on the chair and takes a last look at herself in the mirror before she nods, ready. "You saved me."

"Hey, that's kind of my job." Trying not to blush too much, Emma looks at the floor. "So, you ready to get married, start the rest of your life together with Regina, all that fun stuff?"

"Yes, Emma, I am." Maleficent touches her shoulder, then squeezes it. "And I look wonderful."

"You do, don't you?" The dress and the jewels could have been pulled out of a fairytale, and Maleficent is gorgeous in a way that reminds Emma how ot quite human she is, and yeah, she looks pretty amazing. Laughing, Emma puts a hand on Maleficent's lower back. "Let's do this before something attacks the town and ruins your wedding." 


End file.
